Profile: The question to ask with Freese is not whether he can sustain his 2010 production. It's whether he can stay healthy. If he can, he'll get plenty of chances. The Cardinals have a remarkably light-hitting infield outside of their first baseman, so Freese can play an important role. He hit near .300 last year and was a .300 hitter in the minors, so the average should be there. He also might get an opportunity to score some runs if he hits in front of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. If he hits behind them he'll have RBI opportunities, but his lack of power hurts him in that regard. Still, considering the relative lack of depth at third base, Freese can be a valuable player if healthy. (Joe Pawlikowski)

The Quick Opinion: Health remains a question mark, but if it's there Freese should get plenty of playing time. His value, however, could depend on where he hits in the Cardinals' order.

Profile: To hear the announcers of the World Series tell it, David Freese is a young player who is just ready to explode. Those October heroics aside, Freese is a pretty good hitter, especiallly at third base, where the pickings are slim. However, let's not go nuts. He'll be 29 in April -- not that young for a baseball player. A .298/.354/.429 line from a third baesman is nice, but not even close to being "superstar" material. Also, Freese has never managed 400 plate appearances in a season yet. Don't get me wrong, he can definitely help your fantasy team, and heck, in an especially "smart" league in which people actually understand aging curves, regression, and so forth, he might even be a bargain. But I am guessing that in most leagues there will be someone who buys into the hype. Do not be that person, unless you think .280/.340/.440 from a third baseman is going to carry your team to the championship. (Matt Klaasen)

The Quick Opinion: David Freese is a good hitter at a thin position at third base. Just do not overpay based on his playoff heroics.

Profile: Coming into his age-30 season, Freese has become one of the premier offensive third basemen in all of baseball. His .365 wOBA ranked sixth amongst qualified third basemen, and his .372 OBP ranked at fourth-best. Even better for fantasy owners, the Missouri native has increased his power numbers in consecutive seasons. His .174 ISO and 20 home runs represent career highs. He's no longer an average-only option at third base with modest home run numbers. Given a full season, Freese has proven he can hit 20+ home runs and has also shown that he can sustain a high BABIP -- as his career BABIP over 1234 plate appearances is .359. A spike in his swinging-strike rate (11.3%) is a bit concerning, especially since the late bloomer turns 30 this March, but it did not result in a dramatic increase in his strikeout rate. He will also benefit from a potent Cardinals lineup and should occupy the fifth spot in the batting order behind Carlos Beltran and Allen Craig, likely increasing his RBI opportunities. Freese is comfortably a top-fifteen option at third base in 2013 and has a great chance to be a top-ten fantasy option when all is said and done. (JP Breen)

The Quick Opinion: Freese is not one of the sexiest options at third base, but he has seen his power numbers increase each of the past three seasons and is now comfortably a top-fifteen fantasy third baseman.

Profile: After a disappointing season with both the bat and the glove, Freese was shipped off to Anaheim to join the Angels as their new starting third baseman. Though his peripherals remained intact, his power disappeared, and his always sky high batting average on balls in play fell to a career low. The thing is, his status as a power hitter was questionable to begin with. His career ground ball rate sits above 50%, a level typically reserved for speedy slap hitters. With so few fly balls, exceeding the 20 home run plateau is, and always will be, mighty difficult. Angel Stadium is a bit more friendly for right-handed home runs than Bush Stadium has been, which could help result in a power rebound. Combine the better home park with a batted ball distance that remained strong and Freese becomes a good rebound candidate. (Mike Podhorzer)

The Quick Opinion: After an excellent first full season in 2012, Freese followed that up with a disappointing one in 2013 as his power disappeared. He'll get a fresh start in Anaheim and both the park factors and his average batted ball distance suggest a rebound is in store.

Profile: David Freese’s 20-homer 2012 season looks like a pretty big fluke. He has just 19 home runs in two full seasons since then, and a 51.5% career ground-ball rate and a pitcher-friendly home ballpark are unlikely to help him going forward. His .280 career batting average is nice enough, but it is built on a .344 batting average on balls in play mark that he has fallen short of each of the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Freese offers too little in the way of counting stats to be much use in fantasy. He’s Chris Johnson with a little less batting average and a little more power. That makes him an AL-only play. (Scott Spratt)

The Quick Opinion: Freese’s 20-homer 2012 season is a clear anomaly. He offers moderate power and average with little upside and no speed, which makes him an AL-only play at best.

Profile: Heroics in the 2011 World Series and a fluky 2012 likely set unreasonably high expectations for David Freese. He's a fine player -- he's always been an above-average hitter -- it's just that he doesn't really have a carrying tool. The bat is fine, but it's not great for a third baseman, and Freese barely has the glove to play third anyway. He's a major negative in the speed department, and he's had trouble staying healthy in the past. But he makes just enough contact, and he draws just enough walks, and he hits for just enough power to be a useful player. He'll find a new home in 2016, maybe even with decent playing time, but now entering his age-33 season the inevitability of him losing his status as a full-time player can't be too far away. (August Fagerstrom)

The Quick Opinion: Freese is the definition of an average third baseman, who probably doesn't have much longer to ward off Father Time. He won't do anything to kill you, but he won't do much to help, either.

Profile: Mr. Freese has a few gifts as a hitter. He consistently produces an above-average hard-hit rate. His fly balls tend to leave the yard - he had a career best 21.7% home run to fly ball ratio last season. The drawback, the tendency that ruined everything, was his 60% ground ball rate. It's nice when over one-fifth of your fly balls clear the fence. It's less nice when you only hit 60 fly balls. Freese also benefited from 16 infield hits despite well-below-average speed. His strikeout rate spiked to 28.9%. Overall, the Pirates liked what they saw enough to extend him two years with an option. I see a 33-year-old on the verge of collapse. The Pittsburgh brass clearly believes he has a little bit more left in the tank. Despite my personal reservations, Freese doesn't have to be very good to "earn" his contract. Free agent wins cost over $8 million apiece, and Freese is being paid like a backup. Considering he's produced two wins in each of the last three seasons, there's a good chance he'll outperform his contract. Unfortunately, he's limited to first and third base, and both are positions of depth for the Pirates -- and in fantasy. (Brad Johnson)

The Quick Opinion: "Watch the numbers, Batman, for they are the harbingers of your doom." So said Mr. Freeze to Batman. However, it's actually David Freese who should watch the numbers. If he doesn't find a way to hit fewer ground balls, he'll find it difficult to remain an average major league corner infielder or an option in standard fantasy formats.

If you would like to make a projection for this player, please Log In or Register.